


After Worlds

by Metal_Chocobo



Category: Stick It (2006)
Genre: F/F, Yuletide 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 08:24:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5449895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Chocobo/pseuds/Metal_Chocobo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone on the USA National Women’s Gymnastics team sighed in relief when Haley Graham stepped onto the mat and started her routine instead of storming off like she had last time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After Worlds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [metaphasia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/metaphasia/gifts).



Everyone on the USA National Women’s Gymnastics team sighed in relief when Haley Graham stepped onto the mat and started her routine instead of storming off like she had last time. While the others slowly relaxed as they watched Haley flawlessly perform her floor routine, which was set to some silly punk anthem, Tricia Skilken remained on edge. Win or lose this competition was her last. She had already performed her last routine, which meant there was nothing left for her to do, but watch and wait until she could change out of this leotard. Whether or not she’d retire as a success with her first World Championship gold medal or a failure now all depended on Haley. The same Haley who screwed her over the last time at Worlds.

If she intentionally fucked this up in any way Tricia was going to kill her. Haley may have picked up on this because she had been on her best behavior, at least around Tricia, since they made peace. She’d even done her best to act like a professional representing her country and kept her quips quiet enough that only Tricia overheard them. Really, from the way she was acting it seemed that Haley wanted to rebuild their friendship as much as Tricia did. She didn’t know if that was possible though; before Haley’s betrayal they were as close as sisters. Haley would have to have a damn good explanation for her actions if Tricia were ever to trust her like she used to. As of yet there had been no explanation forthcoming.

Tricia even didn’t know why she wanted to trust her again. Yet at Nationals she threw caution to the wind and joined Haley’s bra strap revolution. She still didn’t know if that had been a good move; intentionally pissing off the judges was generally a bad idea, but at the time it felt like the right thing to do. Or rather, if Tricia were being honest with herself, it became the right move after witnessing Haley’s performance. Tricia had never thought she’d ever feel anything but hate for the woman after Worlds. However, Haley hadn’t simply been raw, emotional, and powerful; she had been transcendent. It made Tricia need to place her faith in her again.

As Haley flipped and stuck the landing, with proper posing, the music ended. Tricia felt the air escape her lungs in a gush as she started clapping. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath. The audience immediately joined her in praise, but Haley didn’t break her pose. She was still waiting for the judges’ results. After much debate Haley was awarded a score of 9.612 for her floor performance. That was the highest score yet today and well above Tricia’s own score.

Tricia tried to smile as Haley plunked down in the seat to her right. Haley didn’t seem to notice her discomfort as she grinned and elbowed Tricia in the side. She was proud of her performance, as she ought to be. Later Tricia would be proud of her too. At the moment she was just focused on keeping the pain off her face. This was the last event at Worlds and while she had earned silvers on the uneven bars and the balance beam, she had been aiming for gold. She wanted to retire with one gold medal from Worlds. The disaster at Anaheim kept her from making the Olympics. Worlds was the best she could ever participate in. Haley was so much younger and had enough raw talent that she’d make it to Beijing in 2008, no problem.

Tricia squeezed her eyes shut and wished that for once she could have been the special one. It was too late for her now; retirement waited for her as soon as the closing ceremonies ended. She’d spend what little time was left to her as a professional athlete composing herself and then get ready to congratulate her teammates afterwards. From the way the others were performing it looked like Nastia Liukin wouldn’t be the only American to come home with a gold medal. No one had yet to come close to besting Haley’s score.

As the last gymnast, Emilie Le Pennec of France, finished Tricia felt herself grow tense again. Haley was splayed across her seat and looked almost bored. However, her display of graceless ease left her hand flopped over the top of Tricia’s hand. Tricia could feel the other woman’s pulse thudding at jackhammer speeds. That dispelled Haley’s illusion for her. She was probably tenser than the rest of them combined. Tricia squeezed the fingers stuck between her own. It was the only comfort she could offer. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw the ghost of a smile grace Haley’s lips as she squeezed back.

When the judges finally announced Pennec’s score it was over a point below Haley’s score. The new gold medalist jumped to her feet and threw double horns in the air. She screamed something too, but thankfully whatever profanity Haley might have thoughtlessly uttered was covered by the roar of the crowd. Tricia got to her feet ready to congratulate her friend on her victory. She figured they’d hug and then Haley would move on. She did not expect to be hoisted off her feet and swung about. It turned out Haley was a little more emotional about her victory than Tricia realized. Soon though she moved on to celebrate with the others.

“Congratulations,” Nastia said, pulling Tricia into a tight hug. Tricia squeezed her back.

“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?” Tricia asked. “You just earned your third medal. Or does silver no longer cut it for you? I can certainly see that point of view after you earned gold on the beam and bars.”

“All the medals count! You know that,” Nastia laughed. “No, I was referring to the last event. I may have added it wrong, but I think you beat me there.”

Before she could ask what Nastia was talking about the other gymnast pulled away. She pointed over Tricia’s shoulder at Haley and told her to go mind her before Haley did something embarrassing. They were still representing the US. Tricia grumbled under her breath that it was too late, but did as asked. During qualifications they had all realized Tricia was the only person who could curb Haley’s behavior without a lot of lip. Vic once jokingly asked how she did it, to which Tricia just smiled and shrugged. She didn’t actually do a thing, as Haley policed her own behavior these days. Tricia would simply clear her throat, or do something else to get her attention, and Haley would dial it back to something resembling acceptable. This had been happening since Nationals. Obviously, Haley was still trying to make up for Worlds.

Luckily Haley was in a good enough mood with her victory her behavior remained manageable. Soon it was time for the awards ceremony. During the awards for uneven bars and the balance beam Tricia stood demurely on her second place slot just under Nastia and tried not to cry too much as silver was slung around her neck twice. Tricia far more enjoyed watching Haley dance in place as she received her bronze medal for the vault, while Cheng Fei and Oksana Chusovitina stoically accepted their gold and silver respectively. Haley did act more decorously when it was her turn for gold. Tricia assumed having Nastia and her sharp nails beside her kept Haley in check, though from something that Haley said when she got down from her first award it almost sounded like she had been dancing to cheer up Tricia.

The moment Haley was off the podium Tricia pulled her into a hug. “I am so proud of you,” she whispered into Haley’s ear. She needed to know how Tricia felt. Haley said nothing, and instead hugged her tighter. 

“Look alive you two,” Nastia said, poking them both in the side. “The judges are about to announce the All-Around Final medalists and I’d like to see if my math is right.”

“Don’t you have enough fucking medals?” Haley demanded, breaking the hug. “Seriously, give it a rest.”

Nastia just shot them both an irritating smirk. Haley scowled back. Tricia immediately grabbed both of Haley’s wrists. She was probably fine, but Tricia didn’t want Haley succumbing to a moment of bad temper and do something stupid, like punch her teammate for being a smartass. Though why Nastia’s behavior was suddenly getting to Haley now Tricia didn’t have a clue. They just had to be pleasant for a little longer while Nastia earned another gold and then Tricia could quietly retire into obscurity.

The All-Around medalists weren’t determined by simple addition of the event scores. Sure, that method would yield similar results, but not the same. To get the real score the judges averaged all of a gymnast’s performances—both compulsory and optional—for each event then summed the averages for their final score. Tricia had completed so many rountines she couldn’t keep track of her own score, much less anyone else’s, however, she was sure Nastia would earn gold yet again.

To manufacture more drama the judges announced the medalists starting with third place and worked their way up. Australia’s own Monette Russo earned bronze, much to the delight of her compatriots. This was the only medal the host country had earned during the World Championships. Then, to Tricia’s surprise, Nastia was next. Nastia winked and grinned at the shocked expression on Tricia’s face before she went up to take her place. The weirdest part was that the gymnast appeared thrilled to not be earning gold.

“What was that about?” Tricia asked as she clapped. Haley just shrugged.

“Dunno. Nastia’s weirder than you.” Haley paused then corrected herself, “Well, she’s weirder when you don’t have a stick up your ass.”

Tricia was about to give her a severe tickling when she heard her own name called. She froze in disbelief. Haley slung her arms around her neck and shook her gently. A smile slowly spread across Tricia’s face. She couldn’t believe it; she had finally gotten her gold. She turned to look at Haley, but a firm push from her friend sent Tricia marching up the podium.

“How did I end up here?” Tricia whispered to Nastia, completely unable to stop grinning. “You did better than me in practically everything.”

“I did better on the compulsories. Overall, your averages were a hair better than mine,” Nastia said. “But I’ll let it go this time. After all, what’s a 0.001th of a point between friends? Besides, you’re retiring, it’s not like you’ll ever beat me again.”

“Gee thanks. That’s super generous of you,” Tricia said, rolling her eyes. However, she appreciated the sentiment behind Nastia’s words. It wasn’t like they could actually be nice to each other and say what they really felt for once. She knew Nastia would miss her.

This time when she cried as they placed the medal around her neck it really was from joy.

The familiarity of changing out of her leotard and washing up allowed Tricia to get her emotions under control. She was still thrilled beyond belief, but at least she wasn’t crying or laughing hysterically anymore. If she were, she wouldn’t have been willing to leave the locker room. Though, considering the way the other women were acting, her behavior wouldn’t seem that strange. Haley especially was ready to celebrate their victory and she insisted Tricia also party.

“Come on Trish, let’s go cut loose. It’ll be fun,” Haley said, tugging on her arm. “I want to drink enough I forget my ass is still covered in Pam.”

“You should have showered,” Tricia said.

“I did!” Haley insisted. “It always at least two to get that shit off me.”

“Well, getting drunk and tossed out of a bar is not my idea of fun. Besides, you’re not old enough to drink.”

”Only have to be 18 in Australia. That means I’m fucking legal,” Haley crowed.

“You were legal for fucking back home,” Tricia quipped, walking away. “Didn’t need to travel halfway around the world for that.”

“Woah, woah, wait,” Haley said, running up and grabbing Tricia’s arm. “When I suggested we bone at Nationals, you called me jailbait!”

“You were jailbait at Nationals. Happy belated birthday, by the way,” Tricia said, rolling her eyes. Despite her words, Tricia wasn’t really being serious. As magnificient as Haley was, she still a little young for her. Tricia’d never turn their banter into anything more than light teasing.

“You fucker,” Haley laughed, punching Tricia in the arm. “For that you owe me a drink.”

“Fine,” Tricia agreed. Haley slung an arm around her shoulders and shook her gently.

“That’s the spirit,” Haley said. She waved her free arm behind her. “Nastia, hurry up or we’ll leave without you.”

“Hold your horses, I was just drying my hair,” Nastia said, running up to them with still damp hair. Haley wrapped her free arm around Nastia, but she didn’t press her entire body into her the way she did Tricia. En mass the three left to find a bar.

It didn’t take them long. Melbourne had a lot of bars and all of them seemed more than happy to welcome three pretty, fit, young ladies. They ended up in a typical bar. At least, Tricia assumed it was typical. She didn’t spend a lot of time in this sort of establishment and the Aussie factor just made it harder to judge. The bar was fairly crowded, but as far as she could see they were the only women inside. A lot of the men were staring, but it was with curiosity instead of hostility or leering, so she smiled back and followed Haley’s lead. 

Despite the fact she wasn’t anywhere near as large as mostof the other patrons, Haley easily cleared a path for them. Tricia assumed the men got out of her way due to her sheer force of personality. The combat boots may have also helped. She led them to an empty table at the back of the pub, which was wedged between a pair of palm trees. After a check of their passports the trio each had a glass of beer in hand.

Tricia wasn’t particularly thrilled about being here, but she had to smile at her friends’ enthusiasm. Nastia was practically bouncing in her seat at being allowed to drink in a bar—Tricia hadn’t even realized she was eighteen before today—and even Haley couldn’t keep a big grin off her face. Considering the importance of the occasion Tricia decided they ought to have a toast.

“To America and all our coaches for helping us to victory,” Tricia said, raising her glass. Haley looked at her as if she were joking.

“Shouldn’t it be to us, for winning big?” Haley asked. Her glass remained firmly on the table. Tricia lowered her glass, glaring at the other woman.

“It’s seriously tacky to toast yourself,” she said. Haley rolled her eyes.

“I mean, sure our coaches helped, but we were the ones out there risking death and broken necks. I say we deserve the fucking toast.”

“That’s being a sore winner.”

“That’s being American!”

“I’m not toasting myself,” Tricia said firmly, crossing her arms.

“Which is why I’m proposing the toast instead,” Nastia said. “I say we toast your retirement. What are you going to do now? I mean, are you completely done with gymnastics?”

“I’m taking a month off. After almost twenty years I think I’ve earned a break from flips and tumbles,” Tricia said. “In January I’ll start teaching beginners at my old gym, important competitions always boost enrollment, and start a master’s program in education. I’ve always liked the idea of teaching geography and coaching high school gymnastics.”

“That’s really sweet, Trish. I’m glad you have such a solid plan in place,” Nastia said.

“Phheff, boring, but it does suit you,” Haley said, exhaling loudly. She crossed her arms and smirked as she leaned back on her chair. Tricia was sorely tempted to reach over and give the woman a little push to knock her over.

“Oh?” Tricia asked. “I’m quite certain my retirement plan is better than yours was. Mine doesn’t include being arrested by the cops for vandalism.”

“I’m just saying you could do something more exciting. Where’s the fun and glory in that plan?”

“I enjoy teaching and I’m good at it, or don’t you remember me helping you with your form when you first joined the national team?”

“I remember,” Haley grumbled. “Yes, you were good at it and yes, you’ll be a great teacher, but teachers get paid shit. They also have god-awful hours and ungrateful students with little support from their administration. I just… don’t want you burning out.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Tricia said, touched by Haley’s unexpected sympathy. She bumped her knee into Haley’s and smiled to show she meant it. “What are you going to do now that Worlds is over?”

“I’m going to be a Gymdog.”

“A what?”

“Gymdog. That’s what they call the female gymnasts at University of Georgia. They offered me a full scholarship.” Haley shrugged. “I start in September.”

“Haley, that’s fantastic!”

“Congratulations!” Nastia chimed in. She and Haley clinked their glasses of beer together.

“What are you going to do in the meantime?” Tricia asked. September was still many months away.

“I dunno, dad doesn’t really care what I do now that I’ve got a scholarship as long as I stay out of what little remains of his hair. Probably stay at VGA and train with Vic, aim for Nationals again. I think I’ll also get a job. I want to save up for a Yamaha,” Haley said eagerly. She pantomimed holding the handlebars of a motorcycle and revved the engine. “I would be so badass on one of those. Frank and Poot would be super jealous.”

“The last thing anyone wants is you on a motorcycle,” Tricia groaned.

“Oh come on, you’d love riding with me! I can see it now, you clinging to me as I hugged the curves of the interstate.”

“I’d be hanging on for dear life!”

“Because you were having the thrill of your life!”

“Okay guys, easy there,” Nastia said. “Let’s stop worrying about the future and enjoy tonight, okay? We’re here to celebrate our victory.”

“To victory!” Haley shouted, raising her glass.

Nastia quickly followed suit. After a moment Tricia lifted hers as well. She was mending fences tonight, not breaking them. They knocked their beers together hard enough to slop some of the liquid onto the table then drank. Tricia only had a mouthful of hers, but Haley drained her glass. Slamming it onto the table she grinned at Tricia.

“Who’s ready to get wasted?” Haley asked, waggling her eyebrows. Tricia simply raised her own as she took another sip.

Of the three of them Haley was the only one who actually drank in excess. Tricia had a couple of drinks, which left her feeling loose and a little tipsy, but she knew her limits and didn’t want to push them. Nastia simply nursed the same beer for most of the night then switched to Sprite, as she didn’t want to get drunk and make a fool of herself her first time drinking in public. Tricia wished Haley had similar qualms. Especially when she got loud, chanting “U S A,” and climbed into one of the pub’s decorative ponds terrifying the fish. That got Haley thrown out of the establishment. Nastia and Tricia were asked to leave as well. As Tricia paid their tab the bartender told her to take her girlfriend home and see she didn’t get into any more trouble. She didn’t bother correcting him about their relationship. He didn’t really care one way or the other and if she protested he wouldn’t believe her. 

Tricia had known from the start that Haley drinking would lead to something like this. She was relieved Haley’s drunken antics were so limited. When Haley sobered up Tricia was confident that the only thing she’d feel embarrassed about was that she wasn’t more outrageous while intoxicated. Haley only felt guilty about her actions if she actually hurt someone. If anyone ever told the story about the time she won Worlds, got drunk, and climbed into a pub pond Haley would likely embellish the hell out of it.

The walk back to the hotel gave Haley a chance to somewhat sober and dry off. Even if it were legal for the younger gymnasts to drink here in Australia, the coaches wouldn’t like it if Tricia brought them back drunk. It wasn’t fair that she was expected to be responsible for their behavior, especially Haley’s, but Tricia learned long ago life wasn’t fair. Otherwise this wouldn’t have been her first gold at Worlds. She’d have made it to the Olympics too.

Looking down at her shirtfront Tricia banished those cynical thoughts from her mind. She could just barely see the outline of her medals through her shirt. They had all opted to wear their medals out to the bar. It wouldn’t have been a proper celebration without victory around their necks. She couldn’t actually see it, but knowing she wore gold filled Tricia with an indescribable happiness. She was officially retired now, but she went out on a high note. She fulfilled her dreams.

“Hey, I’m headed back to my room now,” Nastia said, when they entered the hotel lobby. “Gotta see if Mina’s been able to get out of bed or not today.”

“It’s terrible she came all this way only to get sick during qualifications,” Tricia said. “I know she was supposed to be the alternate all along, but it’s gotta sting. Tell her I hope she feels better soon.”

“I will,” Nastia promised, nodding. She pointed at Haley, who was exaggeratedly swaggering around the lobby’s seating area. “Though, I think you’ve got bigger problems to worry about than Mina’s health.”

“Surprisingly, Haley’s really not that bad,” Tricia said.

Nastia gave her a funny look then got on the elevator. Tricia turned to try and herd Haley into the elevator as well, but found her standing by the staircase. She pointed at the elevator. Haley pointed at the stairs. As this exchange went on the elevator doors closed and they missed their chance. Slightly annoyed Tricia walked over and asked why Haley wanted to use the stairs.

“We can’t race if we take the elevator,” Haley said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Our room is up six flights!”

“So? This’ll be fun,” Haley insisted. “Besides, how else are you going to burn through that alcohol?”

“Sleep and water?”

Haley snorted derisively and took off up the stairs. Tricia stared after her. She couldn’t believe Haley actually expected her to race up six flights. There was no way she was doing it. Haley leaned over the rails and just looked at her. Something about the expression her face sparked Tricia’s competitive spirit. She took off after her.

They raced neck and neck up four flights of stairs. By all rights Haley ought to have been well ahead of her, considering their respective starting positions, but Tricia was certain the other woman waited for her. By unspoken agreement they marched side by side up the last two flights, then charged down the hall. Haley reached the room first, but she didn’t have her key. They jostled for control of the door handle as Tricia inserted the keycard until the door opened and dumped them on the carpet in a heap. Giggling, they slowly untangled themselves. Haley was on her feet first.

“I won,” she announced, offering Tricia a hand up.

“No way, you couldn’t get the door open. I won,” Tricia countered. She accepted the help and Haley easily pulled her to her feet.

“I said we’d race to the room. I got here first,” Haley said. She flounced onto Tricia’s bed, lay still for a moment, then bounced a few times just to get a rise out of her. Tricia refused to give her the satisfaction or turn this into a full-scale argument, especially when she couldn’t remember the race’s exact terms.

“I’m willing to consider this a tie. We entered the room at the same time.”

“Fine. Tying you, even in a foot race, is better than beating most people,” Haley agreed, patting the mattress next to her. “Sit down.”

“I don’t need an invitation to get on my own bed,” Tricia grumped, but there was no bite to her words. She was in too good of a mood to actually be annoyed. She sat a bit further down on the bed than Haley had indicated, kicked her shoes off, and then switched to a cross-legged position.

Haley slowly fell over until she was draped across Tricia’s lap. She rolled over and overdramatically batted her eyelashes. She always used to do that when pulling a fast one on DeFrank, not because she thought it would help hoodwink him, but to let the other girls know she knew damn well how much BS she was laying on the situation. Tricia used to have a hard time keeping a straight face when Haley decided to employ her “feminine wiles” because they were so overdone it was more comedy routine than anything else.

Since they were in private Tricia burst out laughing. Somehow that made everything click into place. This is how they were supposed to be celebrating, not at a bar in public, but lying together on a hotel bed drunk off their victory. Earning gold at Worlds together may have been a highly public event, but their own reactions were personal, private, and meant to only be shared with a cherished few. Tricia was grateful she still had access to this side of Haley.

“Did DeFrank ever catch on to your act?” Tricia asked.

“Naw, that fucker was so far up his own ass he never noticed anything unless it furthered his own needs,” Haley said. Tricia felt the muscles along Haley’s back tense as she spoke of her former coach, but they relaxed as she brushed Haley’s hair out of her eyes. “The first time I tried that shit on Vic—you know, for the girls’ benefit at VGA—he watched for about five minutes then clasped his hands under his chin and furiously batted his eyebrows right back at me while doing a terrible impression of a southern belle. Wei Wei laughed so hard she tumbled into the foam pit.”

“Nice. You guys are a good fit for each other. He dishes it out as well as you do.”

“Yeah… I’ll probably keep working with him for all my non-college competitions.” Haley shifted as if trying to get more comfortable on top of Tricia’s knees. “He respects me, you know? Vic’s the first coach not to write me off as a spoiled brat and actually listened to me when I told him shit stinks. I mean, cue the Hallmark moment and all the TV afternoon specials you’d like, but he gets me.”

“Who knew you could be so sincere?”

“I’m always candid! Simple truth is I do better with his direction.”

“I’ve noticed. You’re less reckless, more focused,” Tricia smiled. “That’s part of the reason we won today.”

“Aww, that’s got nothing to do with Vic,” Haley said, waving a hand dismissively. She made eye contact. “I did it for you, Trish. I swear to god I never meant to screw you out of gold last time at Worlds. Of all the awful burning garbage that competition produced, seeing you cry on international television was the worst. Probably because the vultures keep fucking showing it.”

“I haven’t turned a TV on since Nationals,” Tricia confessed. Haley reached up to cup her cheek. “I didn’t want to be reminded or have my confidence shaken.”

“The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you,” Haley whispered. She absentmindedly stroked Tricia’s cheek with her thumb. Tricia didn’t know if it was the alcohol that had made Haley this affectionate, or if she had genuinely let down her guard.

“Then why did you?” Tricia asked, deciding to push her luck. “Why did you walk out at Worlds?”

Haley retracted her hand, but she maintained eye contact. She chewed her lip as if deciding what she was going to say, if anything. The silence stretched on long enough Tricia was about to retract her question when Haley finally spoke.

“My world fell apart,” Haley said. She fished her medals out of her shirt and held up the gold. “You know, back then I was so focused on getting one of these and establishing my own identity separate from my coach and parents I was blind to everything else. I had no idea what was going on around me, right under my fucking nose, until I caught DeFrank and my mom in full flagrente delicto.”

“What?”

“It’s Latin for DeFrank couldn’t keep his fucking hands off Alice and I caught them banging in a storage closet at Worlds. I couldn’t deal so I just… walked out,” Haley trailed off. Her eyes were unfocused, clearly lost in the unpleasant memory. “I don’t really remember the rest of that night. Wandered around Anaheim until the cops picked me up. That was my first brush with the law; I never got caught for any of my previous pranks—eggings and TPing houses—you know, kids’ stuff.”

“I… don’t know what to say,” Tricia said. She could swear, and Haley certainly had, but that really didn’t cut it.

“It ended my parents’ marriage and now they can’t talk to each other, only scream. Though that isn’t that different from how it was before,” Haley mused. She scooted backward as she sat up so that she landed in Tricia’s lap again. “Everyone swears that I’ve got shitty impulse control, but compared to DeFrank, I’m the non-motherfucking Buddha. I mean seriously, they couldn’t wait until after I competed to knock boots in a fucking storage closet? What were they thinking pulling this shit at an internationally televised competition? It’s a goddamn miracle children around the world weren’t scarred for life by DeFrank’s wrinkly ball sac because a cameraman was standing right outside their love nest when I busted out of there like a bat outta hell.”

“You must have been scarred for life,” Tricia said, trying to lighten the mood. Haley was doing the same by complaining about them like this, but every word out of her mouth had enough bitterness to it Tricia could tell she still hurt.

“The worst thing—aside from hurting you—is that when the judge sent me to VGA and I actually started taking gymnastics seriously again, my mom decided to get back in on the act. She tried to take control. Literally, the first words out of her mouth were for me to go back to DeFrank, probably so he’d hook up with her again, and then she tried to screw over my relationship with Vic and my dad.” Haley shook her head. “I’ll never give my independence to that bitch or anyone else.”

Haley looked so indignant and upset Tricia wanted to do something to make her feel better. On instinct she pulled Haley into a tight hug. Haley instantly went rigid. Tricia started to pull back, thinking that had been the wrong move and maybe Haley really didn’t like being touched, even if she constantly touched Tricia. However, before she could release her, Haley returned Tricia’s hug with gusto. She even went as far as to bury her nose in Tricia’s neck.

“You made the right choice at Worlds,” Tricia whispered. “You were unexpectedly betrayed by the people who ought to have considered your best interest paramount. Even worse, they did it when you needed them most. Gymnastics is as much a mental sport as it is a physical one. You couldn’t have performed with that much emotional turmoil, not without injuring yourself.”

“Trish,” Haley mumbled.

“You don’t need my forgiveness, but if you want it, you’ve got it,” Tricia said. “I just wish I had known what happened.”

“I left you a fucking note,” Haley said, pulling away, however, she didn’t let go of Tricia. Tricia glared at her. Here she was trying to have a moment with Haley and Haley had to go and be a wiseass. Typical.

“You knew damn well I’d be mad enough not to read any note you might have left,” Tricia snapped. “Besides, I never found a note. My mom probably found it while I was distraught and ripped it to shreds. You broke my heart, Haley.”

From the way Haley’s forehead crinkled and her lips turned inward Tricia knew she was going to apologize again. Tricia didn’t want that. Haley had apologized more than enough since Anaheim. More importantly, she had more than made up for it here in Melbourne. To rehash the old hurts any more would just keep the wounds open. Tricia was retired. She wanted to heal. More importantly, she wanted to build something new.

Some of that was still going through Tricia’s head when she kissed Haley, but she mostly did it because she wanted to. If Haley was surprised by the kiss, she didn’t let on. Instead, Tricia suddenly had a lot more tongue and enthusiasm than she knew what to do with. She had focused on training, eating right, and getting a full night’s sleep at the expense of everything else over the years. That wasn’t to say she was virginal, Tricia knew her likes and dislikes from a bit of experimenting in college, but inexperienced wasn’t far from the mark. In any case, Tricia did not know how to handle a highly enthusiastic and slightly intoxicated Haley Graham in her lap. She was doing all she could not to drown in Haley’s alcohol flavored kisses. It was pleasant, but utterly overwhelming.

“Stop,” Tricia said when she felt Haley’s fingers curl into the top of her underwear. “Haley stop.”

Haley froze, though from the look on her face it was clear she was confused by Tricia’s order. Still, the fact she stopped the moment Tricia told her to was immensely gratifying. Haley always listened to her.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Haley asked.

“You’re drunk.”

“I’m not that drunk.”

“You’re drunk enough and I don’t want to have sex with you when you’re like that.”

“Then why’d you kiss me?” Haley asked, climbing off Tricia’s lap. As she sat next to her Haley rubbed her temple like she had the beginnings of a headache. Considering she hadn’t had any water yet it wouldn’t be surprising. “I’m practically sober now anyway.”

“I couldn’t have kissed you simply because I wanted to kiss you? I’ve got to want sex too?”

“Well no, but the last time someone kissed me and didn’t also want sex I was twelve,” Haley said. “I’ve gotten used to the connection.”

“Well there isn’t one here,” Tricia said firmly. “At least not tonight.”

“I got it,” Haley retorted. She paused then asked, “We’re cool though, right?”

“Yeah, we’re cool,” Tricia laughed. She slipped her hand into Haley’s and squeezed. Haley returned the gesture.

“Great. Then if that’s all settled I’d like to get out of these wet pants and soggy boots,” Haley said getting up.

“Oh my god you’ve been rolling around on my bed in those filthy boots!” Tricia shrieked. She leapt to her feet and surveyed the damage. Curved brown streaks decorated her formerly pristine white sheets. There was some green dots, algae from the pond, embedded in some of the streaks. “Haley, you’ve tracked half an ecosystem into my bed!”

“I’m sorry?” Haley offered. The tone wasn’t insincere per se, but she definitely did not understand what the big deal was.

“Where am I supposed to sleep?” Tricia demanded.

“With me?”

“Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“No! I just don’t have any other options.” Haley waved an arm at her bed. “I’ve been sleeping in it for a week, so it’s already got my cooties. You may as well have me in there keeping you warm instead of just my germs. I know how cold you get. Or, if you want me to sleep in your bed, I can. A little mud doesn’t bother me; I’ve slept in worse. Otherwise, the only option left is we call room service for clean sheets. Do you really want to drag a maid up here at this hour?”

“You are leaving them a gigantic tip tomorrow,” Tricia ordered. “That is not the sort of mess they’re expected to deal with.”

“Deal. I can totally do that,” Haley promised. “So, where do you want me to sleep?”

“I guess you can sleep with me,” Tricia sighed. “You’re probably better than another blanket.”

“I will be the bitchinest blanket you have ever cuddled with,” Haley promised. She grabbed a handful of clothes from her bag and headed toward the bathroom. Pausing at the door Haley turned back to her. “Tricia?”

“Yes Haley?”

“I… I do respect your boundaries. I like you a hell of a lot and I have for years. I don’t want to fuck up this thing we have any more than I already have. So, if I am crossing one of your boundaries, tell me and I’ll back off.”

“Thank you,” Tricia said, feeling touched. “That means a lot to me.”

“Yeah well, don’t let it go to your head. You’re like, one of only a handful of people I respect,” Haley said brusquely. “I’m serious about that. I could count everyone I respect on one hand and still be able to flip the bird.”

“I got it,” Tricia laughed. “Go change.”

As Haley did her thing in the bathroom Tricia changed into her pajamas. She had forgotten how much of an emotional roller coaster being around Haley was. Even when Tricia hated her Haley had still done a hell of a job monkeying with her feelings. She guessed that was a uniquely Haley trait. At least, Tricia hoped it was. She couldn’t imagine surviving if two people affected her this way.

Getting into bed with Haley was surreally familiar. She couldn’t remember if they had ever actually shared before. National development camps liked to group girls by age for sleeping arrangements—they were at opposite ends of the professional gymnastic chronological spectrum therefore never shared—and at previous competitions representing the stars and stripes they had always been provided with separate beds, even if they shared a room. If it had happened it would have been before Tricia really knew who Haley was. Now they were so familiar with each other it just felt natural for Haley to curl along her back. They fit well enough it was slightly unnerving to Tricia.

“Is this okay?” Haley asked, resting her hand tentatively on Tricia’s waist. “I can move away, but I tend to take over the whole bed when I sleep, so you’ll probably be stuck under me anyway.”

“It’s fine,” Tricia shrugged. She wanted to relax, but Haley’s breath on her neck was very distracting.

“Just chill, okay? We’ve got to pack and fly home tomorrow. You could sleep on the plane, but if I catch you napping I’m drawing all over your face.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Tricia twisted around far enough to see the teasing smirk on Haley’s face. She wasn’t being serious. Somehow that sapped some of her tension.

“Sleep. I’ve got like six alarms set. Everything is going be just fine,” Haley promised. She reached up and rubbed the back of Tricia’s neck. After about a minute Tricia finally relaxed, but Haley kept the gentle massage going.

Tricia fell asleep focused on the feeling of Haley’s fingers.

Morning came before either woman was ready for it. Tricia woke to the calamity of three vastly different alarms blaring. All of this was muted in comparison to the sound of Haley groaning loudly right in her ear as she buried her face into Tricia’s neck. She squeezed Tricia tightly and from the pressure all along her backside it almost felt like Haley was trying to turn her into a skin suit.

“Wake up,” Tricia said as she wrested her upper body out of Haley’s grasp.

“Naaa,” Haley mumbled. She tried to bury herself in Tricia again, but the other woman pushed her away. Tricia wasn’t willing to let the octopus get ahold of her again. They’d never get up if she did.

“Haley, get up. We’ve got to pack,” Tricia said. She sat up and shook her, which just made Haley groan again. Checking the clock she swore. “Haley, we’ve got to check out in an hour! We completely missed breakfast!”

Haley mumbled something. Tricia was pretty certain she said she wasn’t hungry, but with her face now pressed into a pillow it was hard to tell. Not certain how else to wake her up Tricia hopped on her.

“Oww Fuck!” Haley swore, flailing as best she could under Tricia’s weight. When she realized what was going on she tried to glare at Tricia, but her expression was more amused than angry. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Waking you up. We’ve got to pack then go.”

“You’ve got to pack. I didn’t unpack. Saves on cleanup time.”

“Whatever, you still need to get up,” Tricia said, rolling her eyes. “If you’re already ready you can go fetch me breakfast.”

“Is that part of our relationship now?” Haley asked, unable to keep a grin off her face. She wrapped her arms around Tricia’s waist. “You demand I do something and I just hop to? I don’t think so, princess. What do I get?”

“My gratitude?”

Haley shot her a disbelieving look. “Seriously?”

“What do you want?”

“You.” Her answer was simple and immediate. 

“I think I’m worth a little more than coffee and a bagel,” Tricia said, leaning forward to rest on Haley’s chest. “I’m a gold medalist.”

“I know.” Haley’s expression turned more serious. “I want to pursue this thing we started last night. Turn it into a proper relationship. I mean, if I’ve already gotten you in bed, the rest can’t be that hard.”

“Haley,” Tricia groaned, rolling her eyes. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? We only just fixed our friendship. Starting a relationship when we live in two different states and you’re about to move to a third, farther away one for college is a bad idea.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m getting a motorcycle. It’ll make road tripping to see you easier.”

“Be serious! We’re at completely different life stages. You still have a full gymnastics career ahead of you and four years of college. In that time you’re going to change and mature in so many different ways. I don’t want a rushed romance now to kill our friendship, Haley. I don’t want you outgrowing me.”

“Fuck, Trish, that’s not going to happen,” Haley said, using the gentlest tone Tricia had ever heard her utter. She brushed a finger along Tricia’s hairline. “I’ve been in love with you for at least three years. If it persisted through my world exploding and you hating me for a year, do you really think something as simple as college would kill it off?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yes it is. Your master’s program lasts what, two years? Do it then come to Georgia,” Haley said. “We won’t make any rash decisions and build toward the future. Are you really that afraid of it not working out? Because one of the things I’ve learned over the years is that if you’re afraid of failure you’ll never succeed. You know that too, otherwise we wouldn’t both be World Champions.”

“I’m shocked you’re making a rational argument for this.”

“I can be surprisingly astute sometimes,” Haley grinned. “Come on, we’ll take things slow. I can be patient.”

Tricia snorted at that.

“I totally can! You are worth the wait.” Haley fixed her with a stern look. “However, if you want to go back to not kissing, we are going to have words. Sloppy make outs are a thing that’s going to keep happening.”

“They are, huh?” Tricia laughed.

Her new girlfriend looked absolutely incensed that there was any possible suggestion she might try to take kissing off the table. To alleviate this particular fear before it could become an issue, Tricia leaned forward and soundly kissed her. They still had a million things to do today and Tricia didn’t know when she’d get to see Haley again, but she decided to trust her instincts. Ultimately Haley had never led her astray, not on the important things, and Tricia was certain that if she put her all into this relationship Haley would too. Together they could conquer anything.

**Author's Note:**

> The records and awards Tricia and Haley earned at the 2005 Worlds Artistic Gymnastic Championship actually belong to Chellsie Memmel and Alicia Scramone respectively. Nastia Liukin, who had a minor role in Stick It, was the third participating member of the US Women's gymnastic team and she really did earn four medals at the age of 16 (I bumped her age up by a couple years for the sake of the story).


End file.
